Ballots and voting: What you need to know

SPOKANE CO., Wash. – Election Day is just three weeks away. For many people in the region, the voting process starts Wednesday.

KREM 2 On Your Side wanted to make sure you are prepared to vote and know all of the details regarding your ballot.

Officials at the Spokane County Elections Office said ballots will be distributed by legislative districts, so some ballots will be sent out Wednesday, while others will be mailed on Thursday.

Ballots could be delivered to your home as early as Friday or Saturday and you can cast your vote as soon as it arrives.

If you have not yet registered to vote, your last day to vote in person in Washington is October 31. Online registration is now closed.

Ballot boxes opened Wednesday, which means ballots can be dropped off as soon as you would like. Ballots must be deposited in drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, which is November 8.

You can also mail your ballot in the provided envelope. It must be postmarked by November 8, as well.

Make sure to check when the last pick up time is on the ballot box and mailbox. If you drop your ballot off after the last pickup time on November 8, your vote will not be counted.

The most important thing to remember when filling out your ballot is making sure it is clean.

“There’s a possibility that we will end up remaking over 30,000 of those ballots. People changing their minds, coffee stains, variety of other things that can show up on the ballot. This takes time and its costly. This is why it takes us well into the following week before we have the vast majority of the ballots counted,” said auditor Vicky Dalton.

Spokane County drop off locations include:

Airway Heights Library

Cheney Library

Downtown Spokane Library

Elections Office

Liberty Lake Library

Moran Prairie Library

Otis Orchards Library

South Hill Library

STA Plaza

Argonne Library

Deer Park Library

East Side Library

Fairfield Library

Indian Trail Library

Medical Lake Library

Shadle Library

Spokane Valley Library

If you live in Idaho, the voting process is a bit different. Polls open in Idaho at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Check in with your county’s election office for your polling place.